Shloka 17
सीताया रावणं प्रति धर्मोपदेशः
Sita’s Dharmic Admonition to Ravana
अहमौपयिकी भार्या तस्यैव वसुधापतेः।।।।व्रतस्नातस्य विप्रस्य विद्येव विदितात्मनः।
aham aupayikī bhāryā tasyaiva vasudhāpateḥ | vratasnātasya viprasya vidyeva viditātmanaḥ ||
હું તો એ જ ધરતીપતિની યોગ્ય અને ધર્મસંગત પત્ની છું—જેમ વ્રતસ્નાત, સંયમી અને આત્મજ્ઞ બ્રાહ્મણને જ શાસ્ત્રવિદ્યા યોગ્ય રીતે પ્રાપ્ત થાય છે તેમ.
"I am alone the lawful wife of the lord of the earth like the knowledge of the Vedas which rightfully belongs to a wise brahmin who has realised the self after having had his ceremonial bath (as a token of celibacy) and having observed strict vows during the period of his study.
FAQs
Dharma upholds rightful belonging and propriety: Sītā asserts legitimacy (aupayikī) and rejects unlawful possession, paralleling how true knowledge belongs with disciplined virtue.
Sītā counters Rāvaṇa’s coercion by stating her lawful status as Rāma’s wife, using a dharma-based analogy of knowledge and the worthy knower.
Moral legitimacy and self-respect—Sītā frames her identity through dharma, not fear.